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United States Government Contributes US$180 Million To Help Prevent Famine In South Sudan

WASHINGTON – The United States government is providing an additional US$180 million to help the UN World Food Programme (WFP) continue providing nutritious food assistance in South Sudan, which faces one of the most threatening hunger crises in the world.

This new contribution will also help cover the costs of transporting food to remote areas where roads have been made unreachable by conflict and rain. Because of road access issues, WFP must use costly airdrops and airlifts to bring urgently needed food to these areas.

In the last four months, helicopters and specially equipped planes have completed more than 1,000 flight rotations, delivering food assistance to about 600,000 vulnerable people who could not be reached otherwise. “Just two weeks ago, UNICEF Executive Director Tony Lake and I visited South Sudan; I witnessed first-hand the utter devastation. People displaced by the conflict are living in extremely difficult conditions.

WFP together with UNICEF and the entire humanitarian community are working around the clock to provide food and other lifesaving assistance. This timely contribution from the US will help ensure no victim of this senseless conflict goes hungry or malnourished,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.

In June alone, WFP reached 1.4 million people in South Sudan. The food and associated costs will come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust and will be made available to WFP through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food in emergencies and working with communities to build resilience. In 2013, WFP assisted more than 80 million people in 75 countries.